Haridas Returns

P.K.Ghatak, MD


No 3.

The telephone rang in the middle of the night.

“Hello,” I said.

“This is Haridas,” The voice on the other end answered.

“Oh! Haridas. Where have you been for so long? I wondered what had happened to you. Did they put you in Guantánamo prison?"  I asked.

“Well, I am in town, I will see you in the morning,” he said.

In the morning over a cup of coffee, Haridas explained his long hiatus. He said he was in demand since the Christian Right group shouted down a Hindu priest giving benediction in the Senate Chamber followed by more nasty remarks in the prints and Internet

.“What did he do”, I asked.

He spoke. “Nothing really, if people willingly remain ignorant and thereby behave foolishly, then one can only hope with a wider discussion on the subject the other voices will dominate and drown the voices of ignorant”.

“I thought you said you were busy because of the incident in the Senate Chamber,” I remarked.

“Oh, yes.” He said, and then added, “I was invited by several groups interested in the Hindu theology; they wanted to enlighten the Christian Right and wanted to know better ways to respond to this bigotry and intolerance”.

“Why people are so ignorant about Hindus”, I asked.

“They are not ignorant; in fact, they think they know it all. In school, they have learned Indians are poor, they worship cows, they have a caste systems and untouchables, and Indian streets are full of snake charmers, free roaming cows and elephants. What more one needs to know, especially if you appeal for donations on the T.V. by showing Indian destitute begging for handouts. That reinforces one's impression of India. They even do not know all Indians are not Hindus. India in their minds a waste bucket of world’s poor and cow worshipers,” Haridas said.

“How to correct that misinformation”, I asked.

Haridas said. “You do not have to look further than a dollar bill - In God we trust - printed on the dollar bills. If you want to say something profound, then print it on the money. Money is the strength. Money is power. I tell Hindus to follow the Jewish communities for inspiration. Making money - lots of money and then give a big chunk of it to politically connected groups, that was the way the Jewish people regained their place in the society. Now they dominate the world with money and power. During the 2^nd world war, people denied the holocaust, now 60 years later, anyone who dares to deny the holocaust will be prosecuted in court. That is power.”

“God is one and the same no matter what one calls Him, and no matter how you worship Him. God remains God. Why then the Christian Right is upset about the Senate benediction given by a Hindu priest,” I asked.

“Maybe it is worth here to repeat the story of a beggar and the pious old man," Haridas said.

He continued. “A pious man was about to sit down for his dinner when an old infirm beggar showed up at the door and asked for alms. The pious man invited the beggar to join him for the dinner. They sat face to face and the food was served. The beggar immediately began to eat without even taking a moment to thank God. That behavior angered the pious man. He reprimanded him for not thanking God and asked him to leave at once before he could take another mouthful. The beggar did not understand what he did wrong and left without remorse but was saddened from missing the dinner. The pious man sat silently and then reflected on the incident. He realized God had taken care of this beggar all his life even when the beggar did not thank God once. God sees all, God knows all. God is merciful. God forgives.”

Haridas continued. “Christians need not worry. God created both Christians and Hindus; Hindus came two thousand years earlier than them. God does not take sides. God is benevolent. Hindus did not pollute the Senate Chamber and the Christian heaven. The Christians will find that out when their time comes.”

“Why so much divisiveness among men in the name of religion”, I asked.

Haridas replied. “Why you think Muslims invaded India from Turkey, Persia, and Afghanistan repeatedly over a century. Certainly, they did not come for their spiritual enlightenment. They were there to loot the Indian pearls, rubies, diamonds and gold that were stashed away in temples, holy places and monasteries. Indians were happy to be poor, but temples were bulging with riches. The invaders carried away anything they could lift, the rest they burned down to the ground. If you get a chance, please visit the Vatican treasury and the museum. Thrones weighing in tons made of fine jade and other beautiful jade ornaments alone will convince you of the power of religion in attracting money. Even the poorest of the world willingly give at least a dollar a month in the name of religion. That is 6 billion dollars a month. Whoever has that money can buy a lot of Angus steaks and Russian caviar. Talking about food – I am hungry. Don’t you have any food?” he asked.

“I am sorry, I am living on crackers and coffee for the last 3 days since my social security money ran out”. I replied. I gave Haridas a few crackers on a plate. He took one cracker at a time, closed his eyes and hummed a Tagore song – “the world today is wild with the delirium of hatred…the conflict……O Serene, O Free……. wipe away all the dark stains from the heart…..” and he ate crackers with utmost delight. When all the crackers were gone, Haridas picked up the crumbs bit by bit as if they were gold nuggets and put them in his mouth and continued with the song O Serene O Free…

My eyes became misty. When I regained my composure Haridas was gone.

**********************************************************************